We first became interested in adopting a greyhound when we saw an exhibition of ex-racing greyhounds at The Children's Day Celebration at The Museum of Florida History in the spring of 1997. This was the spring that our beloved german shepard 
was dying of complications of arthritis and kidney failure. The timing seemed serindipidous as we knew that Lady would not be with us long and that we would want to adopt another dog. We had never seen a greyhound up close and personal and we were all impressed with their manner and beauty. They are extremely soft and loveable dogs, most often refered to as "45-mile-per-hour couch potatoes." We knew that day that we would be adopting a greyhound.
We contacted Ken and Dianne Lithicum of National Sighthound Rescue & Adoption in Thomasville, GA to let them know that we would like to adopt a greyhound in the near future. Dianne took down lots of information so that she could match us with the perfect greyhound for our family. As the spring wore on, Lady only got sicker and sicker, and finally, on a beautiful spring day in May, when she could no longer stand, she took one last ride in the back of Leonard's pick-up truck with Jerry holding her and the wind blowing all around her. The kind folks at the Leon County Animal Aid Society took care of us and Lady in her last moments. It was a hard time but made easier by good friends and helpful staff at Animal Aid.
About a week after Lady died, Dianne called from NSRA to let us know that she had found the perfect dog for our family and he would be waiting for us to come meet him whenever we were ready. We drove up to Thomasville to spend some time with "Lucky" and try to decide if he would be the dog for us. He was not quite what I imagined. He was a tall black-and-white with a friendly disposition and a desire to run like the wind as often as he could. We took him home and he soon became part of the family. 
Ken and Dianne had named him "Lucky" because he was just that. He had been sent to be 'put down' by his racing owner since he was getting too old to race (4 years old!). The vet that he was sent to thought he was such a nice dog, that he called Dianne to come pick him up. He was indeed lucky to be sent to NSRA. While lucky was indeed a good name for him, he was renamed "Dexter" by our daugher Tori. He now spends his days lounging around (on the couch whenever we aren't home) and running on the track HE made in the backyard. When he runs, you can actually feel it in the house as he streaks by the window as a blur.
Dexter has been a great addition to our family. I hope that if you are thinking of getting a dog, you will consider adopting a retired greyhound. There are thousands of greyhounds that have been retired from racing that are in desparate need of a home. They are very affectionate animals and want little more than to be fed and loved. If you are interested in learning more about greyhounds, including how to go about adopting one, please explore the links below.